Repeat Performance

Paris 36 recounts familiar story

The growth of any city can be measured by the development of its
neighborhoods. The differing districts diverge as artists populate one
area, young families form communities in another and college students
scramble to wherever rent is cheapest. A snapshot of Hyde Park captures
a different Boise than a page from a Garden City scrapbook. In ancient
metropolises such as Paris, each neighborhood also has a unique
history, with local heroes--or villains--and defining events. In its
original French title, Faubourg 36, director/screenwriter
Cristophe Barratier tells the story of one Paris neighborhood's mission
to save a small vaudeville theater in the midst of civil unrest.

Set between the two world wars, Paris 36 tells of Pigoil
(Gerard Jugnot), the former manager of the once-great Chansonia--a dive
of a hall in the Faubourg district that showcased B-list comedians and
subpar singers before being shut down by fascist mafioso Galapiat
(Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu). When Pigoil's estranged wife denies him
child visitation rights due to his unemployment, he joins young
revolutionary Milou (Clovis Cornillac) and sartorially challenged
impressionist Jacky (Kad Merad) to restore the Chansonia to its former
glory. When talented songbird Douce (Nora Arnezeder) joins the troupe,
the theater begins selling out each show. But will she find love with
Milou or be wooed away by the lecherous Galapiat, whose investment in
the hall depends on her fidelity?

Paris 36 is the second film from director Barratier--his
first being the charming Les Choristes (2004)--and he continues
in the vein of simple, nostalgic stories that are sweet, but not overly
sugary. Yes, the typical Francophilia cliches are firmly in place, with
accordions, tiny cafes and the Eiffel Tower all taking their turn in
the spotlight. But this is the era that birthed these iconic images,
and the film serves as a loving homage to the tropes, not a cheap
exploitation of our familiarity with them.

Similarly--and in the tradition of vaudeville shows of bygone
years--the cast all excellently play the roles of established
caricatures; the naive ingenue, the lovestruck stagehand and the
buffoonish waiter are part of a recognizable stock of characters
throughout film history. Storywise, there's a bit of Cabaret
(1972), a healthy portion of Moulin Rouge (2001) and a dash of
The Producers (1968). But Barratier uses these well-worn
elements to create something welcoming, a banquet of familiar but
comforting dishes. We've sampled these flavors before, but their
recognizable taste provides us with expectancy, not boredom. There are
just enough hints of the larger social and political upheavals
concurrent with the time period to balance what essentially is a
throw-away story of the "let's put on a show" variety.

With sweeping cinematography from Oscar nominee Tom Stern (2008's
TheChangeling) and a cafe-worthy score by composer
Reinhardt Wagner, Paris 36 is a well-crafted peek into a certain
time and place, like a handsomely framed peep-hole into the
neighborhood's history. The setting may not vary much, but there's an
ever-changing and regionally unique story continually being enacted in
front of us.